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It had been about a week since Rankin was moved to the Undisclosed Medical Facility, since he was reported dead when he's secretly alive and just in a coma, and now about two weeks since JD's son, Jack, turned 9 and got kidnapped.
Things around the team were a little.. rocky. Not in the way where they fought, or in the way where they were snippy towards each other, but in the way where everyone was on edge, always tense and ready for immediate action, in case something personal became case related again.
Today, things were normal for the NCIS: Sydney team. Meanwhile, across the world in the NCIS D.C. office, the team were still reeling from a call they got just over five hours ago.
Mackey walks into HQ, glancing around and seeing JD at his desk, Evie stealing Dee's food again, and Dee down over in Blue's Lab with Doc, checking in on how far Blue has gotten with finding out who put that pacemaker in Rankin.
“Hey boss! Got a call yet?” Evie asks after swallowing the food she took from Dee.
Mackey shakes her head, talking after taking a sip of her coffee and heading towards the fridge to place her Lunch for later down, “Not yet, but I'd say not to get too comfy, since we never know when things fall into our jurisdiction.”
Evie nods, shoveling another bite of the food into her mouth, after saying, “You know, Dee has decent-ish taste when it comes down to breakfast foods. Though, I can't say the same about his pizza choices..”
Dee looks over at her words and his mouth drops open again. “Girl- that's my food again! Why do you keep doing this?! Get your own!”
JD chuckles a bit while slightly shaking his head, glancing up to Mackey's side of their touching desks when she sits down.
“When's DeShawn ever gonna learn she does it for those reactions to begin with?” He asks, and Mackey shrugs with an amused smile.
“No clue, but likely not for a long time, knowing Dee.” She says, which causes JD to smirk a bit.
Mackey opens a file on her desk, about the latest case they had, and continues to fill out the paperwork since she hadn't finished it all yet. As she does so, she listens to Evie and Dee bickering, annoying, and overall just playfully mocking each other like they have ever since they met.
That is, until she gets an email. Just as she pauses what she's filling out in pen, about to open the email, her cellphone rings. Usually if it's case related they call her desk phone first, and if there's no answer, then and usually only then, whoever it is calls her personal phone.
She forgoes the email temporarily to answer the phone first.
“Special Agent Mackey, go.” She responds, leaning back in her chair with her phone against her ear.
Over the line, the other person starts to speak, “Michelle, it's Kasie. We uh.. there's something that happened.” Kasie Hines says, D.C. office's forensic scientist. Mackey's heart beats a little faster at the woman's tone of voice, paired with her words.
This can't be good.
So, in lieu of that sinking knowledge, she stands up and walks over to the observation room of interrogation, closing the door behind her.
With her back towards the team, she doesn't see JD, Evie, and Dee look at her, the former two sharing a look, and JD seeming a bit concerned.
When the door closes behind her, and she's alone in the empty observation room, Mackey's eyes shimmer with concern as a frown slips onto her face. “Kase, what happened? The team alright?” She asks, wanting to just rip the band aid off.
“We were at the office and I just.. Wanted you and DeShawn to hear it from a distant family, since everyone no matter the office is family and well, this isn't something you should hear down the grapevine.” Kasie rambles a bit, beating about the bush ever so slightly.
“Kasie, what happened?... Who's hurt, or gone?” Mackey asks, taking a deep breath just in case.
“It's Ducky, Michelle… he's gone.”
Now, Special Agent Michelle Mackey isn't one to show her emotions easily, well, at least before she and Dee arrived in Sydney and she got a team to herself, but still. It's rare for her to show her emotions. This, now this information, no matter how good she is at masking her emotions, on purpose or not, is enough to make even her carefully crafted masks have cracks in them.
Especially since it's the news of family. Blood or not, even if you haven't officially met, all NCIS Agents are family. That's just how it is, how the bonds grew, as they themselves grew into the role of Agents.
Mackey sighs out a breath, hoping at least one thing, “please tell me he didn't go like most agents do?” She questions, hoping her wishes will be true.
She hears the sad smile in Kasie's voice when she responds, “he went peacefully. In his sleep. Jimmy went to go bring him breakfast this morning, and to see something Duck wanted to talk to him about, and Jimmy found him. He was.. already cold, by time Jimmy found him.”
“How's Palmer taking it? We all know he saw the man as not just a mentor, but a father figure as well.” Michelle asks, trying to flow some conversation, so she won't let Kasie hang up then stew in her own sadness too much.
Luckily, Kasie lets the conversation flow. The two go from talking about the sadder subject, to reminiscing memories, causing the two to laugh and get genuine smiles on their faces, lifting their spirits ever so slightly.
After almost eighteen minutes of being on the phone, Kasie makes a point that Mackey was hoping to delay.
“We better finish this call, so you can break the news to DeShawn. Oh, and, before I go, thanks for the stories and memories, Michelle. I'll talk to you later, my very far away sister in all but blood!”
Mackey smiles, letting out a slight chuckle, as the two finally wrap up the call and hang up.
Time to go tell DeShawn the saddening news.
She pockets her phone as she walks over to the door, opening it and walking out. When she goes up a couple of steps, she sees the whole team.
'I must've worried them, taking a call and walking off without a word, then taking so long to appear again, since Blue and Doc are out here with them as well..’ Michelle thinks, letting her gaze flicker across them all, landing on DeShawn.
“Macka?” JD questions, and everyone, besides two, share a look. Deshawn and Mackey just look at each other, Dee's face changing to one of dread and worry when he sees the look Mackey's giving him.
“Captain? Who was that? What happened?” Dee questions, trying to prepare himself for the worst.
Mackey sighs and gives DeShawn a look that says “you aren't gonna like this, because I sure as hell didn't.”
“That was Kasie from D.C…” She trails off trying to let DeShawn put the pieces together, so she would only have to say who and not do the hurtful part and confirm someone is dead.
Luckily Dee knows exactly why she didn't continue, so he asks the question he knows she will be able to answer without her mask cracking further in front of the others. He knows that her letting people see her show emotions, mainly sadness or fear, she tries to avoid.
“Who.” He says, not asking, since he knows he doesn't have to ask it.
Mackey sighs sadly, and says, “Ducky, in his sleep.”
Dee's eyes widen, while the others just look confused, “Ducky?? The Ducky? Duck man? Seriously?!”
Mackey nods, and then Doc speaks up, “Who's this 'Ducky’?”
Mackey turns to look at him, moving to sit on the top edge of her desk, hands hanging between her knees as she leans over to rest her arms on her legs, Dee lost in thought over the information.
“Dr. Mallard, or as his friends call him, Ducky, was a friend, or well, non-blood related family member back in D.C. He was the Medical Examiner from 1981 to 2019 when he became NCIS’ Historian. He was… a very close friend, to even people who didn't directly work with him. He was family. So, his loss, even if you haven't met him and have only heard of him, is a great one. As for Kasie, she's D.C.'s Forensic Scientist, like you, Blue.” Mackey explains, looking up towards Dee to tell him, “she didn't want us learning about the loss from the grapevine.”
DeShawn nods, sighing as he puts his hands behind his head while in thought. “We need to send flowers, Boss. Do any of you know of any we can send that has meanings behind them?”
Doc clears his throat, “I know some, Golden Wattles. They're native here, and they symbolize Unity, Resilience, and The Spirit of Australian People. I think they would be perfect to send.”
Mackey and Dee share a look, Dee starting to nod as Mackey says, with a small smile, “yeah. Those sound perfect. Duck was one of the most resilient people I've ever met, so it fits.”
After that, a moment of silence is left between the team, all giving the moment of silence in honor of Ducky, whether they met him or not.